When applying for a job, there are many ways to optimize your resume. You can check the listing to see where the employer’s priorities lie in terms of experience, and make sure to highlight what’s most important to them, for example. You can include any major achievements like exceeding sales goals. And you can include a link to your LinkedIn profile.
One group of skills career experts say is crucial to include is your soft skills. An overwhelming majority ― 93% of employers ― say “soft skills play a critical role in their decision about whom they want to hire,” Ian Siegel, co-founder and CEO of ZipRecruiter, said in the company’s recent report The Job Market Outlook for Grads.
Soft skills include a wide array of abilities. “I would say, in general, communication is very high on that list right now considering how people are working in very different situations, hybrid situations,” says Kristin Kelley, chief marketing officer at CareerBuilder, as an example.
ZipRecruiter compiled some of the most in-demand soft skills on its platform. Here are the top skills on that list, including the number of jobs on the site listing the skill as a requirement.
Communication skills
Number of jobs that list the skill: 6.1 million.
Customer service
Number of jobs listing the skill: 5.5 million.
Scheduling
Number of jobs listing the skill: 5 million.
Time management skills
Number of jobs listing the skill: 3.6 million.
Project management
Number of jobs listing the skill: 2.8 million.
Analytical thinking
Number of jobs listing the skill: 2.7 million.
Ability to work independently
Number of jobs listing the skill: 2 million.
Flexibility
Number of jobs listing the skill: 1.3 million.
